Page 50 of The Warrior Priest
“And?”
“He ranted for a bit, but when I explained that you were in an impossible situation, he calmed down. He understands, Jac.” She tapped her chest. “Deep down, in here, he knows it’s the right thing for you to do.”
I blinked back hot tears. “Did he give you a note for me?”
“Not a written one. He just wanted me to tell you goodbye and that he’ll always be fond of the time you spent together.”
“Fond?”
She lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “I think he felt awkward talking to me about you.”
“Did he say anything else?”
“Not about you. He told me he has to leave tomorrow for Mull.”
I settled back against the pillow. “Can we leave tomorrow, too?”
She smiled as she stood. “We can, and it’s fortunate we’ll be heading west since they’re heading east.”
“Where are we going?”
“My home. It’s in Dreen.”
PartII
Chapter11
Idiscovered that I liked Dreen. The kingdom on Glancia’s western border had known peace for a long time, and that peace reflected in the residents’ welcoming nature. Although it was the largest of all the countries on the Fist Peninsula, it had the smallest population. Farmhouses dotted its rolling green hills, while its two cities could barely be described as such. Logios, the center of learning for all students on the peninsula, not just those from Dreen, was nestled into the side of a hill to the north of the capital, Upway.
It was to Upway that we traveled. It was Giselle’s home, and not all that far from Tilting, even though both cities were in different kingdoms. It was something of a melting pot of different folk, so a fair-haired Glancian wasn’t an uncommon sight. Most of its residents were Dreenian, however. Giselle fit in, with her dark, straight hair and flatter face, but she was exceptionally tall for a Dreen woman. Even I felt tall for the first time in my life.
Giselle’s home was much like her, sleek and practical. The chairs lacked cushions, there were no rugs covering the floors or ornamentation on the walls. Kitchen utensils were mostly made of tin and there was only two of everything—plates, bowls, cups, spoons. I wondered if the second one got used much before my arrival.
“This is your room,” she said, opening a door. It smelled musty, but nothing that a little airing out wouldn’t fix. “Sorry it’s so small.”
“All I need is a bed.” I put my bag down. Having left Tilting in a hurry, it was woefully light.
“Fortunately, you’re not used to fancy.”
Not in the last few years, but my bedchamber in my childhood home had been a palace compared to what I’d lived in after escaping from my uncle.
“What’s through there?” I pointed at a door opposite my room.
She hesitated. “My office.” She removed a key hanging on a leather strip around her neck. I hadn’t noticed it tucked under her shirt all this time. “I keep it locked, even when I’m home. It houses my most valuable possessions.”
“Client information?”
“Amongst other things.” She unlocked the door and let me walk in first.
It wasn’t what I expected. The room was barely large enough for the desk positioned in the center and the cabinet of drawers. A low bookshelf drew my attention first. Books were expensive. Usually only the wealthy could afford them, and some academics who spent all they earned to accumulate them. My parents had owned some, as did my uncle, but I’d not had the opportunity to read one in years. Perhaps I’d have time in between training.
I trailed my fingers across their spines. Some were bound with leather covers, others in soft animal hide, and even a few in just hard board. Some of the titles were familiar, although I’d never read them. “What are they about?”
“All manner of topics. Geography, medicine, history of the peninsula and beyond. Culture and beliefs, magic and sorcery.” Giselle pointed them out as she spoke. She removed one with a red cover, elegantly decorated with a gold border, a sun and moon motif in the center. “I need to reread this for a job I’m considering.” She tucked it under her arm and pulled out another. “This one might interest you. It’s mostly about prophecies, but it might mention the legend your mother told you.”
I’d told her the governor stole the pendant from me because he believed the legend that the sorcerer had placed power within it. I hadn’t told her the governor was my uncle. It wasn’t a relationship I wanted anyone to know.
“Thank you,” I said, flipping open the book. “I’ll start now.”
